Young Loves Demise
by Cercris
Summary: Tails life before and after the games
1. Where life starts

Young Loves Demise  
chapter 1

  
You know, life's a bitch. That is the first thing I want to say to you tonight. Life is nothing more than an overweight Saigon whore. I am now 16, and already I realize that I missed out on most of the important things you need in life, and lost the few I had. I have barely lived my life, yet I have lived more of a life than people old enough to be dead.  
  
Knowing what I know now, I have come to the conclusion that no matter how hard you try, life will never bend into what you fantasize about. Pretty shitty outlook on life, you may say. Well, I may not be the best example, but I am an extreme of what a bad life is. I've lost all my friends, I'm dependent on my stash, and overall I've been dead for about 2 years now. I just haven't realized it until now.  
  
How is this possible? How could one persons' life go so wrong in such a short amount of time? This is my story. About love, desire, hatred, sorrow, and treachery. This is a story, about young loves demise.  
  
  
  
I feel pain. I held my ears and eyes shut too hard for and too long. I'm afraid of what I might see when I expose them to the devastation I know is just beyond the barrier of darkness.  
  
I finally give.  
  
My eyes open.  
  
My hands flee from my head.  
  
I look up.  
  
Into those glaring faces.  
  
Sad faces.  
  
Pitying faces.  
  
_'Why don't they do anything?'  
_  
I hear sirens.  
  
_'Why aren't they helping?'  
_  
I look down at the two bodies at my small feet. Two unmoving bodies, whose faces are too familiar for me to forget.  
  
_'Mother?'  
_  
Tears sting my eyes, threatening to scar my face; I start to kneel down next to the all too familiar corpses.  
  
_'FATHER?!'  
_  
The tears of pain now trickle down my pale and cold face, yet I don't make a noise. Not a single sob as I curl up next to the one I recognize as a comforting female. Nobody dared to move and shatter the unnerving silence which covers the crowd in a stale blanket.  
  
_'Help mother.'  
_  
I curl tighter around the limp body, still so warm. I can feel something liquid soaking into my clothes, but I don't care. I simply keep my eyes closed and stay with the slowly dying warmth.  
  
_'Help father.'  
_  
Everybody but me looked up at the screeching tires and thundering sirens. They were distant sounding, almost non-existent in the torrent of chaos and pain which plagues my mind.  
  
_'Help me.'  
_  
I felt a tugging under my arms and around my ribs, slowly pulling me away from the only family I have. The only family I had.  
  
_'no.'  
_  
I tried to reach out for the deceased.  
  
_'No.'  
_  
All I did was watch in horror as the black tarp shrouded the two lonesome bodies.  
  
_'NO!!!'  
_  
I struggled against the human restraints, like an ant trying to move a mountain out of sheer will.  
  
_'MOTHER!!!'  
_  
Nobody in the crowd offered to help. The bastards wouldn't lift a finger. Did nobody care?  
  
_'FATHER!!!'  
_  
Being pulled farther, and farther.  
  
_'MOTHER!!!'  
_  
With what little strength I had, I flailed my body, twisting and contorting it this way and that. I felt one of my knuckles connect, and I felt freedom only one hand away.  
  
_'NOOOOO!!!'  
_  
I broke free of the other hands, whom had gone to look at the owner of the previous two. I hit the ground hard, feeling too much torture in my heart to notice I had cut my leg. I managed to get up quickly, and I started to run.  
  
_'Mother.'  
_  
Eventually I find myself against a wall. I turn around and notice I'm surrounded, those white coats laughing maniacally at me.  
  
_'Father.'  
  
_I tried one last desperate attempt, not knowing if I was ready yet.  
  
_'I'm.'  
_  
The evil behind the spectacles looked at me with confusion as I twisted my tails tightly together.  
  
_'Alone.'  
_  
Slowly, I felt my feet lift off the ground, and the air rushing downward in torrents.  
  
_'Alone.'  
_  
Several men dove at my ascending body.  
  
_'Alone.'  
_  
I spun my tails as faster than I have ever dared to try.  
  
_'I'm scared.'  
_  
They barely missed me. One hit the wall with a sickening crunch.

_'I'm scared.'_

I flew to a place far away from there. Just kept on flying and flying until I no longer had any strength to keep my tails moving.  
  


'Someone help me'  
  


I can not recall how far I flew, or how long ago I crash landed, curled up and cried.  
  
_'I'm scared'  
  
_

Something happened. A soft hand laid itself upon my shoulder. Looking up, all I could see is a comforting smile, surrounded by blue fur.  
  
_'Alone.'  
_  
"You ok kid?"  
  
A kind, gentle voice flowed from the anthros throat.  
  
_'I'm scared.'  
_  
"N-no." Through sniffs and sobs.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked as he sat beside me.  
  
_'Everything'  
_  
"E-eve-r-r-rything."  
  
I said. He wrapped an arm around me and held me close. I love the feeling and comfort of his small embrace. The warmth invited me, and I buried my face into the soft fur.  
  
"Tell me about it."  
  
I felt a soft hand caressing my head. I calmed down a little bit before I sat up and away from his grasp.  
  
_'My mother and father were killed.'  
_  
"M-my mother and f-father were k-k-killed."  
  
That last word tasted like acid on my tongue. Fresh tears started to glaze my red eyes.  
  
_'The men in white coats are after me.'  
_  
"S-some people started to chase me.'  
  
_'Orphanage'  
_  
"And said they were going to put me in an orphanage."  
  
I am starting to regain some control of myself, although for how long, I don't know. From everything I told him, I watched as his smile, turned into a frown, and now his face is beginning to show utter shock.  
  
"Oh. I'm so sorry."  
  
_'Please, let me stay with you'  
_  
"Please, let me stay with you," I clung to his chest again and started to sob.  
  
He was hesitant for a bit, but eventually relaxed, a relieved smile spreading across his face.  
  
"Well, ok, but only for a short while. I'll need the extra hand anyway, to help with my new place. Sorry, I won't have a bed for you, but I have a spare hammock you can use in the corner of my room."  
  
_'I'm not alone!!!'  
_  
"Thank you!"  
  
I hugged him tighter as I said it.  
  
"But first things first."  
  
I looked up at him with quizzical eyes.  
  
"We'll need to know each others names, if we are going to know each other".  
  
He smiled cocky like. I laughed a little bit when he did this and whipped the tears from my eyes.  
  
"I'm Sonic, and you are?"  
  
"Hmm. I'm Miles Prower."  
  
I saw him looking at my two tails. I moved them behind me a little bit, kind of embarrassed. He chuckled  
  
"Well, I'll call you Tails. Well, nice to meet you, I think I'm gonna like the company."  
  
"Thank you so much, sonic," as I leaned into him again. I can't get enough of his warmth. He picks up my small form and carries me off. I wrap my two tails around me.  
  
"No problem, little bud," the last words I heard before I was overtaken by the need for sleep.  
  
I now know we are going to be great friends. Best friends  
  
_'Forever.'_

A/N: Revisions galore. I look at this chapter and realize how much I need to work on it, but somehow keep the impact of the feelings the same. Compared to when I started writing, I think I have improved. Funny, it is like every single day I write something, the better I become. The better I become, the better I expect from my work, which makes it hard for me to look at my past works. Well, since I am gaining some time to work on the chapters, I am restarting with this chapter, making one last revision, and then doing the same with chapter two and three. Questions, comments, constructive flames and/or critiques, please either post in the review section or send to my e-mail address. If anybody has noticed, I changed my name. The reason for this is because I have become a different person, and it will show in my writing. Note, I will not use any personal experience in this story, so do not bother your head as to why I put my name as my characters.

Disclamer: All Sonic the Hedgehog characters are property of Sega, any other characters and this story are property of Long Shiriku Darku. Namely, me.

Blessed Be,

~Long Shiriku Darku~


	2. Friendship

Young Loves Demise

Chapter 2

Only a year had passed since my savior adopted me and I started living under the roof of his ransacked house. Questions such as how old I was and who were my parents bothered me. It took their death to shake me out of my false comfort and open my eyes to the world not shrouded by the happiness bestowed upon every second I was alive. As it was I learned how to live life at age four, or that was how old Sonic had said I looked.

I guess that made me five and while living with Sonic I learned not to let it bother me too much. Making the best of life was the only way to keep living, or at least that is what he had told me. Really, I didn't have a choice but to believe him, he was my only family right then. He wasn't a father or a mother, perhaps brother was the role he fit into the best.

Started school two months prior and I was still excited I was going. Sort of a love/hate relationship with school since I wanted to go really badly, but at the same time I couldn't wait for the week to end. I think it may be that way with other kids as well. Although, at times I got the feeling that most of the other kids never wanted to be there. The one truly happy thing I can recall clearly about school was the day I met Long.

The day I talk about was a Friday, so I was really excited, since it was my favorite day of the week. Going to school for the day, which I liked, and then right after was the weekend, which was when I spent the most time with Sonic. I never really spent as much time with Sonic as I would like since I was going to school during the week. We would do lots of things together like go out to the mall, work on our house, and even catch a fight or two on the TV. Good times I say, good times.

My day started off at 5:45am, like usual. The small alarm clock I slept with in my hammock went off, muffled by the sheets as to not wake Sonic just yet. He slept on the mattress situated on the floor in the opposite corner of the room. I hit the snooze button on the alarm clock to shut it up, and then sat upright in the hammock. Letting my legs dangle off the side, yawning, and rubbing the sleep and the small amount of crust my eyes, I then fixed the alarm to not go off again.

Hopping up it took me a few moments of stretching to wake up completely. I seemed to be a bit flexible, and Sonic suggested that I keep stretching in the morning to stay that way. Perhaps become even more so. The first goal of mine was to be able to do the splits, which I was almost there. Fully awake, I made my trip to the shower.

Sonic had to show me how to work the shower saying that we could not take showers together. I use to only take baths with my mother, so showering by myself was a big change for me. I was use to it by now, but the first day was embarrassing for me. Not knowing that we only had limited hot water, I took a thirty-minute shower. Laughing was my first reaction when Sonic was blasted with cold water. Guilt soon replaced that feeling that caused me to laugh as he lectured me about the shower. He made it up to me by laughing a bit and giving me a hug. I was surprised at how patient he was, especially since he was only a teen himself.

Getting out of the shower, I grabbed two towels off the towel-rack and started to dry off most my fur. Sitting down and picking up a comb I, was reminded as to why I hated this time of year. Fur on some anthros grows out a bit during the cold times and I was no exception. The summer was the greatest time for my fur since it was short enough to make it easy to brush and dry off. Unfortunately, during the winter, it grew out and I dreaded spring when I started to shed. After I finished combing my fur I headed back into the bedroom and tossed the towels into a pile of other used ones.

Laundry on Sunday… 

The various piles of clothing were starting to get a bit high. Funny, Sonic and I made an odd system. We would do our laundry together making things easier, but instead of sorting through clothes we would simply make sure they stayed separate. Interestingly enough we did fold out clothes, but we didn't have any dressers at the time so we kept them next to where we slept in neat piles. Well, at least mine are neat. Don't know how sonic could have found anything he wanted since his clothes got scattered the day after we folded our them.

I took a peak at Sonic and couldn't help but smile. He was lying face down, spread-eagle, one leg hanging off the side of the bed, pillow muffling his loud snoring. Laughing as I was I doubt that thunder could have woke him up. I mean, he even slept through an earthquake at one point. Rubbing my snout a little I turned away from Sonic and headed towards my side of the room.

Three neat piles of clothes lined one of the walls under my hammock. I picked up a pair of white khaki pants and slipped them on. I then picked up a light-gray short-sleeved button down shirt and slipped that on as well. Sonic bought this shirt for me saying I would look good in it. I really liked the logo as well. It had a silhouette of a wolf head facing to the right, with the words 'you won't drag me down'. The third pile of clothing was just socks so I picked up a pair and slipped them on. I finished buttoning up my shirt and headed back to the bathroom and picked up the brush again, simply using it to comb out my head-fur. 

For some odd reason, some anthros have head-fur that grows out longer than the rest of their fur, almost like it was hair, but it usually stays the same color. Unless someone dyes his or her hair which is not uncommon. I combed my head-fur, splitting it down the middle.

Haircut… 

Whenever my hair reached down past my eyes was usually the time in which I would decide I needed a haircut. During the winter and during the spring was when I would get my haircut. Setting the comb down, I finally headed out to the kitchen to start scrounging for some food. Not an uncommon kitchen, sink against one wall, counter against another, pantry at the end of the counter which is where I headed to first. When I opened it I found it pretty bare except for a box of breakfast bars and a jar of peanut butter.

Gotta go shopping! 

I opened the fridge, which was on the opposite wall of the pantry, next to the oven and stove. I saw a carton of milk, mustard, and the T.V. remote. Sonic must have been up late the previous night. He always left the remote in the oddest places. I grabbed the remote and tossed it onto the couch in the living room, which was connected to the kitchen. Heck, there was almost no distinction between kitchen and living room except the carpet. Snagged the milk, setting it on the counter; I got a glass and poured. My eye twitched a bit as I watched a lumpy paste with a foul stench fill the once decently clean and empty cup. I closed the carton, tossed it in the garbage, and washed out the cup. 

_Fine, I don't need milk this morning_.

REALLY gotta go shopping! 

Unwrapping the cereal bar was a bit difficult as they all were. It distracted me for a little bit until I opened it and took the first bite. Finally, I had something which stopped my stomach from turning inside out with hunger. For some reason I was always very hungry in the morning. Taking a quick glance at the clock told me that I needed to step on it or else I was going to be late. I finished off the cereal bar as I ran to our room to snag my watch. Looking over at sonic for a split second I smiled at the fact he did not move an inch so far and then I dashed out of the room.

A small but tight hallway that started at the side of the kitchen lead to the front door where my shoes had awaited me along with my backpack. Once, overly large shoes, fit perfectly since I had grown. They represented the last of my old memories. I already swore I would wear them until they become too small for me. Right after I tied my laces, I strapped my watch onto my wrist. It was a decent sports watch, nothing special about it except it was the first thing Sonic bought for me.

Picking up my backpack, I finally opened the door and started on my way to school. As I stepped outside, I locked the inside of the door and closed it, turning the knob a little to make sure it was secure. Crisp morning air filled my lungs and chilled me a little bit, making some of my face fur stand on end. I swiveled my ears a little, to keep blood running through them before pressing them down flat against my head. I really didn't like cold mornings, they made my ears freeze a bit, and the chill also messed up my fur at times.

I looked up into the sky as I stepped out onto the dead lawn, closing my eyes and letting the bright sun beat down on me soaking in as much of the wonderful warmth as I could. A quick stretch later I was looking down at my watch.

_7:00… damn-it, I gotta hurry._

The problem was the school I went to was two hours away and started at 8:00 sharp. I say two hours, meaning two hours on foot going through a winding road. A quick look around at my neighbors' houses and I saw a flower delivery van parked outside of Mrs. Janes house.

_Odd, I thought she was a widow…_

_No time to stop and think about it, gotta get going._

I shrugged a bit and started to wind up my tails tightly. A quick release sent a blast of air towards the house. It should have taken about an hour to travel by air to school. I liked traveling this way since it helped strengthen my tails. It took a few moments to pick up speed, but with a swift kick I was airborne heading in the direction of school.

Imagine the face Sonic made when he found out I could fly. It was the third month of my life with him. I was out on the grass playing around with a soccer ball. I still felt kind of lonely since we only had older neighbors. Anyway, while I was messing around with the ball, I didn't see a car that was speeding through the streets. Accidentally I kick the ball out into the middle of the road.

Most people instantly automatically think of a cliché scene...  I run for the ball, horn honks, I lift myself into the air and into the warm embrace of safety. Hardly! What happened was, I did run into the street to get my ball. The car screeched around the corner and that is when I looked up to see it heading my way. Frozen with fear was one of my problems. Another problem was the fact that it took me a few moments to speed up the twirling of my tails in order for me to fly.

Mere moments away from death I had felt a sudden jolt and thought for sure that the car had really hit me. With only the shock of being hit running through my system, it took me a moment to notice that I was not in any pain. In fact, I felt quite comfortable. Opening my eyes I found Sonic standing right there holding me close and scratching my ears lightly. In case you did not know I love being scratched behind my ears.

I was really amazed at this. Sonic saved me when I was only a split second away from death. That was when I found out that he was blessed with natural mega speed. We shared a special moment in the backyard. Taking the soccer ball out of the gutter we headed to the backyard to pass it around a bit. The backyard was pretty much the same as the front yard except that part of it had re-planted grass, which we took turns hosing down every day.

It turned out to be a fun afternoon. Sonic showed off by kicking the ball and speeding to where the ball was heading, kicking it again and again, lather, rinse and repeat. At this point in time he was barely able to catch up to the ball. Sure, he was fast, but he joined the varsity track team at his high school since he never really learned how to run, so he claimed. Apparently it was only to learn to become faster.

It was neat and stuff. For a few minutes we played a little one-on-one soccer, my goal being the green grass and his goal being the small concrete patio. At some point, he accidentally kicked the ball into the neighbors oak tree where it became stuck. Sonic was disheartened and I did not want to see him like that so I gave him a pat on the back saying 'don't worry, I'll go get it.' He nodded, thinking I was going to go around and ask the neighbor again if I could fetch it.

Instead, I walked up to the unpainted fence, and closed my eyes concentrating on winding my tails for lift-off. I strained myself a little bit to get off the ground, but it was worth it. After snatching the soccer ball out of the branches I brought it back over to Sonic, landing right in front of him. I gave him a quizzical look, for he stood looking agape at me. 'Sonic, what's wrong?' I asked, and he responded 'I can't believe it, a flying kitsune! I thought you were just a regular kit, but a FLYING kitsune? Hey bud, you better keep working on that, it'll save your life someday,' He responded the last with his usual cocky smile and a wink.  Giggles from little ole' me filled the air a bit, then outright laughter when Sonic playfully tackled and started to tickle me. Good times.

Well, forward in time again, I was enjoying my ability greatly at the moment, made getting to places a lot easier such as getting to school in only an hour. Sometimes I wished I could fly all the time. I always got such a rush when flying. As always, I was simply enjoying the wind blowing through my fur, the dizzying height, and the shear speed that I gained through practice. At that moment I felt like going fast, so I would. I would keep my tails up a little bit so I could gain altitude, but I had put them almost directly behind me as well, and spin my tails as fast as I could.

Forty-five minutes later I landed just down the street from the school. I could go just as fast as Sonic use to go before he joined track at his high school. A short walk later, I joined the group of kids huddled right outside the door of our class. Like usual, the others all stood, but I sat down against the wall. It was not a big school. All the buildings were only one story high. The grades ran from kindergarten through sixth grade, three classes per grade. Since I had just turned six not too long ago, they stuck me into first grade. The teacher seemed a little different then all the other teachers I had seen walking around campus, I couldn't quite put my finger on how. She looked like a human teacher. Nothing special about her really.

This brought me to another thought, which was the question of why. Why did the other kids look at me like that? Other than my tails, I really didn't see anything special about me. Pretty sure that my tails were not the problem though, since the kids seemed to give me the worst looks when I was answering a question or asking one myself and when I turned my work in early.

Some kids started to outright avoid me. This did not make me feel any different considering no one really talked to me anyway unless they were making a snide comment. Those comments were the things that really hurt my feelings but like every other sane kid I kept it to myself. Just by watching, I learned that all kids must pick up this habit, since the really emotional kids were given even less respect than I.

The ring of the bell started an odd swarm of kids, each going directly to one classroom or another. Suddenly the small group became a big group, all yelling and talking loudly, guys screaming like girls, girls growling like guys and vice versa. I was the only student not to join in. No one asked me and thus far no one tried honestly to befriend me. Some tried to become my friend saying it would be cool to hang out with an anthro. Two days later, they started to spit at me saying "all anthros suck!"

Well, in harsh times hopefully they would become decent people, come third or even second grade. The teacher was five minutes late. I noted while looking at my watch, as usual.

"Oh my! Hang on kids, I'll be with you in just a second!" said the teacher as she ran up to the door and fumbled with her keys. When the door was opened, the kids pushed their way into the hallway that led to all the other classrooms. Luckily we were all in the same class which was right next to the door outside. It did not take long to get the kids seated in their miniature desks. I hissed a little when several of the kids flicked my ears when we were walking in.

It had been the same routine since day one. Come into the classroom and take my seat in the front of the class. I didn't choose that seat, but I sure regret having it assigned to me. The kids behind me never stopped pestering me. They were always flicking my ears and throwing things at me whenever I answered or asked a question. Same old nonsense day in and day out. 

_Great…_

Our first two subjects that always started off the day were Social Studies and Writing. I never really liked those two although I was very good at writing. A few questions asked, a few answered, and the more my ears became sore. Another strange thing I highly disliked was the fact that the teacher would intentionally pick me, even though I did not raise my hand. No matter how many other students had their hands raised high, bouncing up and down and making primate mating calls, I eventually was eventually picked to answer. I'm certain the teacher enjoyed to watch me suffer.

During the writing portion of our class we had to write out our F's several times, giving the teacher a small break. As usual, I finished ahead of the class with fairly neat writing. Sonic had helped me start writing early on before I started school, teaching me himself. I am really thankful he had. He said I was a natural, that he could picture me as a great writer later on in my life. Always he embarrassed me like that. Setting my pencil down, I simply looked around at the walls and the various posters placed up. When scanning near the windows, I noticed the teacher had stepped outside to talk to the principal. Interesting story, the last time I saw her was when Sonic tried to sign me up for school. 

_            **Few months ago**_

            _"Hello there, and how may I help you two?" _

_            "Yes, my name is Sonic, and I was hoping to enroll Miles "Tails" Prower into this school," _

I remember I was paying attention, but I didn't really understand it all.

            _"Is this some kind of joke? I can't really judge age too well with anthros, but you yourself seem a bit young to be admitting this child into this school,"_

_            "I understand how this looks, but I am in a small jam here. My little buddy is an orphan, he ran away from some humans who tried experimenting on him and some others wanted to put him into an orphanage. His parents were killed one night by a drive-by shooting. I found him and I am taking care of him. I am going to school myself, but I am paying for our housing and food with my paycheck as a night delivery boy. Don't worry; I'm paid well because I am really quick and reliable. Please, I want him to get an education. I love him like a brother!" _

I was startled and a little scared because Sonic rarely yelled. I held his hand a bit tighter hoping to calm him down or something. 

_"Now listen here young man, I have a half a mind to call the authorities right now for this. Besides, don't you know the law? First off, I am wondering how in the world you were by yourself. Secondly, I know you have lied on your resume' because the law says you are not allowed to work until age fifteen. And lastly, our schools are segregated."_

_"You think I wanted to live on my own? I'm sorry, but fuck no! My parents hated me but were nice enough to set me up with a job before they sent me out on the streets. That is not why I am here, though. I came here because this was the closest school, and I know they changed the laws recently, and that the schools in your district are not segregated anymore." _

The principal looked a bit happier right then.

_"I know, and it is about time as well. You know, I use to have a good friend who was an anthro. I sympathize for your race, and all the oppression you are going through" _

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, the type where you know something has to be said but there was nothing. It was then the principal, a female human, sat back in her chair placing her hands in her lap.

_"Fine then! I will allow Prower into this school. Just letting you know, there is a risk of foul play that will stir up into lethal incidents. I have no power over that, no matter how much I want to ensure your safety as well as Miles. As far as legal help, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Just please, be careful. Both of you," _

She had said this while looking at me with kind eyes.

_"Really? Thanks! Oh God, thank you so much! I promise that Miles will be here on time everyday."_

_"Oh, and there is one more catch. Miles will need to maintain a four point five GPA to stay in this school. I do not want to be like this, but as long as he gets good grades then it will not leave people suspicious and  find some way to legally request Prowers files. Also it will give the Anthros a better image. I will not accept any anthro student who does not meet these expectations."_

_"You dun need to worry about that. I trust Tails, I know he will knock ya off yer socks. He has already blown me away!" _

**Present**

That was the day I was accepted into the school. Even though it had its ups and downs, Sonic told me I was very lucky to go to school, and that I should take full advantage of this opportunity. I loved Sonic and from what I heard it looked like he could have been in big trouble if I was not a good student. I never wanted that to happen.

During my small flashback the teacher walked back into the room, not looking very pleased, while leading a small kid to the front of the class. Just like what they did with me the first day I was there, he was introduced to the class.

"Welcome to the class. Class, this is your new classmate, Long shir… sure…" The teacher stumbled over the second name, and I could tell the student was slightly upset about that.

"My name is Long Shiriku Darku," He said with a firm tone. The teacher grimaced a little, but recovered quickly enough.

"Everybody, lets all give a warm welcome to Long Darku," the teacher said with a jolly attitude. Everybody in the class said hello with half-effort enthusiasm. Long bowed a bit, something I was not use to seeing. He took the only open seat in the room which was conveniently placed next to my own carefully setting down his black back-pack.

He was a bit off, I'll admit that, but except for one or two small things he seemed like a normal kid in my eyes. Turns out he was only a little shorter than I was, which was odd since I was one of the smallest kids in the class. His build was a bit weird as well, his waist pretty thin, his shoulders overly wide. He looked like a kangaroo but his forearms bulged and he had long claws instead of fingers which were some of the features of a mole. Because of his thick tail, he had to sit sideways in his seat letting the tip touch the ground.

Because his arms were so thick there was no question as to why he was wearing a tank-top instead of a t-shirt. The sleeves would have probably ripped before he was able to get the shirt over his head. One last odd thing, his jeans were cut off just above his ankle. I assumed it was this way since he had digitigrade legs.

One thing I liked about his almost skin-tight shirt was that it was my favorite color, blue, with a cool logo on it. Hard to describe, but I will try. It looked like an "S" lying on its side with on end split open and curved inwards and the other end looked like a spear-head. Right above that was a diamond, and the whole symbol was in black.

His hair was blonde and spiked, leading down just past his neck with one clump of hair curved over his eye. He had two clumps of hair that started behind each ear and extend down to his hips. Yes, he was not exactly the most clean-cut person around, but he did not seem to be bad person.

It was near the end of the first part of the day so the teacher told him to pull out a book and read. I finished writing out my L's and sat back in my chair, twisting my tails a bit out of restlessness. Long read a Goosebumps book by R.L. Stein while I simply doodled on a scratch piece of paper. Since Long was looking in my direction from the way he was sitting he could not help but look over at what I was drawing.

"What'cha drawing?" he whispered to me. I guess only I was able to hear this since not even the teacher looked up. I kept one of my ears pointed at him to make sure I caught everything he said clearly.

"Just drawing a car," I whispered back.

"Hey, that is pretty good. Can I draw a little onto it?" he asked. I found that to be weird, but not seem rude nor scare away a potential friend, I slipped him the piece of paper. He put his book down face flat and quickly snatched the paper from me, taking one of his various pencils from his backpack to the drawing. A few moments later he handed it back to me a little bit more complete then what it was before. The fact that his portion of the drawing matched my own brought a smile to my face.

Looking up at the clock, I noted that there was only one more minute before we were sent out on our break so I quickly stuck the paper into my binder and stuffed my binder into my backpack. I pointed up to the clock making sure Long looked; when he looked back down to me, I held up one finger to show him that we only had one minute to go. He nodded a bit and simply folded the corner to one of the pages in his book and set it at the corner of his desk.

We waited in silence for about thirty seconds. The bell rang and we heard an annoying shrill of a bell one would hear in a school only found on T.V.  Quickly the room emptied. In their hurry the kids left their materials on top or underneath their desks. I took my time in leaving, Long not too far behind, as we stepped outside into the bright, hot day. Fans inside our room were always maxed out, which is one of the many reasons that I was highly thankful for my fur.

Stepping outside was like stepping from a freezer into an oven. Stretching out a bit, like a few other kids, I looked around the school campus and located the place I usually spent my breaks. At the far corner of the soccer field was an oak tree. There was nothing really special about this oak tree except the fact that nobody really hung around it. Well, nobody but me. I liked the isolation from the others since it meant I had to worry less about what they thought of me.

I walked out to the tree, avoiding a ball accidentally kicked at my head. I didn't know if it was an accident or not since the person did not give a warning. Usually when I reach the tree, I sit down on the grass leaning my back against its trunk. No exception this time around; and I do find the grass quite comfortable. Long, not too far behind, followed me out to the shady tree. I scooted over a little and offered the now vacant spot for his use.

Declining the offer in a most peculiar way, he simply ran towards the tree. I thought he was going to become a bundle of anthro on the ground for a second. Then something astounding happened, something I least expected. He jumped, and boy did he jump. He reached one of the lowest and sturdiest branches in the tree. When he could touch that branch easily, he dug the claws of his right hand into the trunk of the tree and pulled himself completely up onto the branch.

While I stared in bewilderment, Long stretched out belly down on the tree branch, resting one arm and both legs on the tree limb while letting his other arm dangle lazily off the side. When the initial shock wore off, I smiled and giggled a little. I quickly repositioned myself, lying down on the grass with hands behind my head, one knee up and my other leg crossed over my knee.

"So, your name is Miles?" Long asked from his perch.

"Yeah, and you are Long," I replied. Giggling, a little I imagined Long being a stretched out anthro.

"So, how did you end up at this school?" This question was not one I expected, but I took it as a simple question, just trying to get to know one another.

"My friend Sonic put me in school, he said I needed to go,"

"Sonic is your dad, right?" Long asked.

"Nope, Sonic is my friend,"

"One heck of a friend I would say," I nodded to that with a goofy smile on my face.

"Yeah, he is. How about you Long?"

"My mother said something about getting me an education for myself and freedom for more."

            "Your mom is weird," I laughed. Long laughed as well, and brought his left hand up to brush one of his longer locks of hair to the side of the branch his head was not on. 

            "Yeah, I think so too. She is a cool mom, though. You can talk to her about anything and she won't get mad at all."

            "It is the same thing with Sonic and me. I can ask him lotsa things and he doesn't get mad at all." We shared a small moment of giggles, until a ball was kicked at the tree and almost hit Long.

            "Hey! Watch where you kick the ball!" Long shouted out to the field. I sat up to look at who kicked the ball.

            "Why don't you watch where you sit, fuzzy!" shouted a larger than average human kid. He looked like he was one of the older grade kids, and boy was he fat. Long bared his teeth at the kid and growled a little. The butterball of a kid turned around, slapped his butt in our direction and ran back to the gang of older kids who simply watched and laughed.

            One of the kids was not laughing, though. He had jet-black hair which was unkempt and he wore tattered black clothes. The glaring eyes of this dark kid really disturbed me. Eventually they all went back to their game and ignored us. Long jumped down out of the tree and sat down next to me.

            "Long, why do they treat us badly? We are kids too. What makes us different?" Long gave me a look of pity.

"Don't you know? We are anthros, that is why."

"That doesn't make sense," I ruffled my head-fur a bit, but then combed it back out with my fingers.

"I know, it doesn't. Those stupid human kids are such idiots. We're not any different then they are yet they treat us otherwise." A bell rang loudly over the noise of the kids playing outside. Long and I stood up and dusted the loose grass off our legs then headed back to class. On the way there Long jokingly pushed me and ran around a bit while I was in hot pursuit. I latched onto one of his arms eventually and from there we walked to the classroom while I was still attached to his arm, laughing the whole way.

A few of the older students stared at us, but at that point in time I didn't care, and I don't think Long did either. Well, class started again. Next two subjects: Science and math. We walked out to another classroom to do science worksheets. All we really did was watch the teacher drop a few drops of food coloring into a flask of water, and note how the water color changed and the neato swirling effects of moving water.

Then we went back to the classroom and did even more worksheets. We were working on our addition and subtraction. It was really easy for me, Long looked like he had just as much difficulty. One plus one equals two, red plus red equals yellow. I wonder what they are trying to say with this. Well, I didn't wonder then, but I wonder now. Long and I both finished our worksheets earlier than the rest of the class so I brought out my crayons and the teacher allowed us one sheet of computer paper.

It took only until the school day was over for Long and myself to finish the picture. It was a bi-plane; red with white stripes. I smiled while looking at the picture, just hoping to be able to have something like that someday. One of my few dreams I held close to my heart. While Long and I admired our picture all the other students quickly dismissed themselves from the classroom. We packed up our school supplies and silently agreed that I could take the picture with me. After all that was done and over the teacher stopped us.

"Long, Miles, please stay seated. The principal wanted to talk to you two," After the teacher stated this she left in a hurry, leaving us sitting in our seats alone in the classroom. I turned to Long.

"Hey, what do you think this is all about?" I asked.

"Hey, you got me. I just hope that we did not do anything to get in trouble," he shrugged a bit.

"Wait, I can't get in trouble! Sonic is gonna get in trouble if I do!" Panicking a little as I said this, the principal came into the room. Quickly I stood up. "Mrs. Principal! I didn't do anything, I swear!" I felt tears coming to my eyes and I choked on a few sobs.

"Whoa whoa there Prower, you are not in trouble, neither of you are. Please, be seated, I have good news which I have to talk to you about." I sat down, making sure not to sit too far back to squish my tails which I twist together tightly behind me.

"Now, I know this was not explained to you and I do not know if your guardians would so it in a way you can understand. As of the end of this school year, you two will be in an accelerated program. Remember that test you both took in my office?" Long and I both nodded. "Well, as it stands you both are really, really smart. Long in a more creative way, but Miles, you can figure things out much faster than any of the other kids in this class. So what this means is that next year you two will attend third grade!" We both gasped at the same time.

"Principal! I am not smart enough to go to third grade! I don't even know multiplication!" Long stated. The same thoughts were going through my mind. Even though we were both a little excited at the thought, we were scared at the same time. The teacher waved a hand to dismiss the worries like they were fruitless.

"Now I know it is going to be hard for you two, but I know you can do it. I am going to have someone teach both of you over the summer. That way you are caught up with the rest of the class. Do you understand?" She asked.

"Yes, but what does this mean? Where is all this going to lead?" I asked. The teacher sighs a little and closes her eyes.

"This means that you two are going to study during the summer so you can be in the third grade. It means the rules are the same, and it will be hard in the higher class. I think Sonic and Jane will be very proud of you both if you can do it." I felt like my little brain was being overloaded with information and emotion. I could not cry even though I felt it coming.

"But, what about the year after?" Asked Long.

"I am glad to say that if we follow this course, you will be sent to sixth grade, and after sixth grade, you will be put into high school. If you don't pass with all A's though, you will have to go to a different school and will attend regular classes and never get a good education," So here we were, sitting in the room with  the principal lecturing us that we must pass with outstanding work or we will be screwed. What an idea to put into a kids head. "Well, we are done here. Go on, head home, and I will tell Sonic and Jane."

Late afternoon, Long and I were waiting outside on the sidewalk, just waiting for something. Just waiting in silence for someone to come by or something to happen. The silence was starting to become a bit uncomfortable. Long saved the day this time.

"So… just waiting for Sonic to come and pick you up?" He asked casually.

"No. Waiting for your mother to pick you up?" I asked.

"No. I usually walk home," he responded.

"Oh. I usually fly home, live kinda far away." I replied.

"Really?" Long took a quick look at my tails. I tried to hide them on the other side of my body, blushing a little in embarrassment. "Wow! A flying fox! I thought I would never meet one! So what is it like?" He asked excitedly.

"What is what like?"

"You know, flying! Soaring through the air!" He motions with his hand.

"I guess it is fun. I do like flying a lot. Sonic says I should do it more often."

"Yeah you should. I was told my mother had a flying fox friend when she was younger. She never knew what happened to the two tailed fox, but she found out the fox was rarely on the ground except when she was told to be seated."

"Really? I never thought of that. I really don't like the other kids looking at me though." I look down and droop my ears a little.

"Hey now, no one is watching except me. No one will know! Besides, why do you care?"

"'Cause all the other kids will make fun of me."

"Well, if they do that, just tell me, I'll hit them for you!" He smiled and pounded a fist into his palm. I smiled a bit at this.

"You'll just get in trouble though, and I don't want you to go away,"

"My daddy told me, before he left that as long as I do not throw the first punch I have every right to fight back." He smiled just like Sonic did; a cocky smile that said nothing could bother him. I couldn't help but giggle a little at this. With my hopes raised a bit, I decided to fly. I twined my tails together and let them loose, allowing myself to hover a bit. Long laughed "hey, your butt is carrying you!"

"Ahh! Is not!" I landed and was blushing a lot. Long was still laughing a bit.

"Hey, I'm sorry Miles. Come here," it was an odd thing that happened. He pulled me into a hug. I was not expecting this from another kid. It felt comfortable enough, and I knew he was really sorry for what he did so I hugged back to accept his apology. We let go after a quick hug, and I started to hover again.

"I guess it must be hard, being one of the few of your kind," Long stated.

"Why you say that?"

"You mean you don't know?" He asks. I shake my head no. "Um… you are probably one of the last kitsune and probably the last flying type. What happened to your parents?" All of this info hit me too hard for me to react. I guess I was too young to fully comprehend what he was saying, or I just did not want to accept it.

"My parents were killed. Someone shot them both," I don't know why I was saying it so coolly; it was almost natural for me to say it that way. But I guess the pain in my voice hit Long somewhere as well since he had an 'I'm sorry' expression.

"Well, wanna go over to my place?" he asked. It was weird, kind of an agreement about not saying anything else and forgetting about what was said.

"I guess so, but I gotta tell Sonic,"

"Do you know his phone number?"

"Yeah, I do,"

"Well, you can call him at my place,"

"You sure this is okay? I mean, I don't want to be rude,"

"It's good," I nod a bit and we both headed on towards his house.

Laughter filled the air when we finally reached his house. It was just at the corner of a private street, no sidewalks to speak of. It took us only five minutes to reach his house.

"So Tails, how long have you had this job?"

"Oh, since the day after Sonic adopted me. I only work on Sundays though."

"Neato. Hey, do you think I can get a job too?" He asks as he steps through his front door. Before he walked and I floated through the door, I noticed the house was the same house Sonic said he wanted to fix our house to be. Green and well-kept front lawn, one story high house with a two car garage, white walls on the outside, and all the wood and shingles were a dark brown. His porch was made completely out of brick and had a rubber doormat that said 'Friends always welcome! Relatives must make an appointment.'

"Nah, Sonic says normally people are not allowed get hired young, but because I can fly the boss was nice." My eyes widen a bit in amazement and I land on a small section of wood just inside the door. The walls and the ceiling were very white. It was interesting how nice it looked with the light burgundy carpet. We were in the living room, I guess, there was a sideways white couch which had vertical blue lines. The couch was parallel with the fireplace and had a matching armchair at the far end of the couch facing towards the door. A stereo behind the couch caught my eye for a second before Long led me to the right where a desk and computer were located against the wall and a doorway that led to a tile floor.

"Hey, the phone is against the wall at the end of the counter," Long says and heads off past the couch and armchair to a hallway and turned left. I assumed he went to his room to drop off the backpack he was carrying the whole way. I simply put my own on the outside of the doorway that led to the kitchen. The kitchen had a fridge on one side, a sink just next to it, and a stove/burner/microwave facing the fridge. There were two counters, one lining the fridge and one lining the stove. At the end of the latter counter was a wall with a phone on it. I picked up the wireless phone and dialed the number to my house and Sonics'.

"Hello?" came a slightly distorted by clearly recognizable voice.

"Hey Sonic,"

"Oh, hey little bud, where are ya? I was getting worried,"

"Sorry Sonic. I am at a friends house, and I was wondering if I could stay the night," Long said I could while we walked here. I thanked him a lot for the offer.

"Sure! Hey, just make sure it is okay with his mother though. I don't want to have you fly home at night, I heard there was suppose to be a storm heading in our area."

"Thanks for the warning. I'll call you if I can't stay,"

"Okay, just make sure to call me in the morning. You have to do your chores remember." I rolled my eyes at this.

"Okay Sonikku,"

"Ouch, touchy. I'll see you tomorrow at twelve, right?"

"Or until you wake up," I laugh a bit

"What is this pick on Sonic night? Okay okay, I'll set my clock,"

"Bye Sonic,"

"Love ya little bud,"

"Love you too," That is when I hung up the phone.

A/N: oi! Took me one hell of a long time to get off my ass to finish this! I hope you all enjoyed the story. As usual, please give me as many comments/praises/flames/ constructive critiques as you can! I would really appreciate any feedback really. Oh, and please go and visit Gogehenks stories. He is one hell of a writer. Note that I am STILL not done editing this story.


	3. Chapter 3

Young Loves Demise  
  
Chapter 3 *REVISED*  
  
As Long said, his mother was a fox, in every aspect of the word. When she heard the news that I was going to stay over, she was kind of mad. Still, she let me stay because we already made plans.  
  
'Mother.'  
  
I was dumbfounded. There she was, the spitting image of my mother, as I remember her, except with only one tail, and a little more round busted. The longing I felt for my own mother hit me hard whenever I looked at her face. I almost started to cry, but I choked back my tears to keep from shame.  
  
As she started on dinner, Long took me to his room, saying that I would have to sleep on the floor. At first, I thought this was kind of rude, seeing as the way I remember etiquette was the guest always took the bed. I felt the carpet of his room beneath my feet, and changed my mind instantly. Long threw an extra comforter he fetched from the hallway closet and set it on the ground, and then a thin blanket on top, with a pillow at the head. A simple yet comfortable set-up.  
  
After that was all done, Long led me into the garage, where I found out a very interesting fact about my new found friend. In his spare time, he worked on engines. Any type of engine he scrounges up from a junkyard, he would take apart and fix, hopefully getting the engine to run in the process as well. Because of his awkward mole hands, he had special tools designed especially for his clawed hands. They were apparently handed down to him when his father passed away.  
  
He had three engines in the garage at the moment. Two car engines, one which he had been working on previously and is on a stand, and one he brought in the other day which is located on a bench near the front of the garage. Then, there was his baby, his most precious of engines. An bi-plane engine, located at the rear bench looking partially dissected with many parts strewn around. He had been working on this lifetime project since he was 4 apparently, and has completely dismantled and put back together the engine six times. He has yet to get it to work, and it was starting to grate at his nerves. I could tell just by the way he makes sudden glimpses at it, walking over to it from time to time, but not really doing anything. Each time he laid his eyes on it I could see his jaw muscle flex a little bit as he ground his teeth.  
  
Finally, after showing me the basic tools and showing me what varies universal parts were, such as a nut and bolt, a screw, et cetera, he went to work on the engine he had been working on most recently. It was already partially taken apart, and at first glance I could not make heads or tails of anything. I watched and listened as he worked and talked to me about how tight to tighten a bolt, or when you need to replace this or that piece, what type of damage to look for, and so on. I just sat there at first, absorbing all I could as he further dismembered the chunk of metal and fluids half-consciously. To this day, I am still amazed at how he could be in that state of mind at such a young age.  
  
Eventually, a sweet aroma and an equally sweet motherly voice with the promise of delights dragged us away from the ever so interesting fray of the V6. We first washed our hands, Long used a special degreaser soap which smelled of citrus. Then we sat down at a wood table set for three people, although the table could easily hold five or maybe six. I took one looked at the food and nearly groaned out loud in embarrassment.  
  
'How could I forget?'  
  
"What's wrong tails?" Long asked as he watched me do a terrible job at hiding my discomfort.  
  
"I forgot to tell you. I'm a vegetarian."  
  
Longs mother, who was drinking some wine from her cup, inhaled and choked on her drink. Long patted her on the back as she gagged a bit. I looked at the food and my snout crinkled into a snarled grimace. It was steaks, barbequed chicken, sushi, pork steak, and hard-boiled eggs. There was a little salad, set in front of my place. I can sympathize for the way she acted, for if you looked at the meal, and hear what I just said, you'd be a little stunned yourself.  
  
"Oh my, well sorry for the inconvenience. If you want, I can get you some cheese or something," Longs mother suggested  
  
"The salad should be enough, thank you very much," although my stomach disagreed with me. I was trying to be nice, but I saw that she knew better. Luckily Long did not catch the small tension and eased both of us.  
  
"I never knew a fox could be a vegetarian. I thought only herbivorous anthros were,"  
  
"Of course there can be vegetarian foxes. Being a vegetarian is purely a psychological thing. Some people don't like the taste of meat, because they were brought up that way. Others are humanitarians who are against the idea of harming animals even for self-preservation. Anthros with an herbivore heritage tend to more likely be vegetarian because of their genes, but most are as omnivorous as our human counterparts."  
  
This started off our dinner conversation which led on to other things, and we talked about school also, had a few laughs over my revenge, and overall had a good time. After we finished our food (Long's Mother, Cathy, made me eat a second helping of salad) Long and I cleaned up by rinsing the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. We headed back out to the garage to finish up what we started.  
  
He finally found what he was looking for when he took the engine block apart, which was a cracked gear. He replaced it with a spare he had in his garage, and even let me help with putting it back together, saying that it would go faster if we both worked on it. I had a lot of fun messing around with tools and figuring which part goes where, and I learned so much just in that one night alone, it left me craving for more. After we finished putting the intestines of the engine back, he hooked it onto a chain which was dangling from a stand. He then used the stand to raise and lower the engine into an old car.  
  
He called it his testing car, since he could not identify it. It took a while, but we eventually had it all hooked up to the car. He filled the tank with gasoline, which I discovered I just LOVED the smell of. I had to rev the car a few times to get the fresh gas and oil flowing, and after the third time trying to start it up and hitting the gas pedal, the engine came alive with a bang, and then a soft, beautiful hum.  
  
I turned off the engine, and Long gave me a pat on the back. I'm surprised that he was able to not hurt me with the claws on his hands. His mother decided to call us in to hit the hay a few seconds later. We slowly and grudgingly put all the tools away, and wiped up the extra oil that was spilled where we were working. He used this spray called brake cleaner, although he said it was used for all types of grease, grime and oil.  
  
We walk inside the house via garage door. Long said not to touch anything until we washed up. Into the bathroom we went, which conveniently placed right next to Longs bedroom. We both used the special soap to wash up. It appeared that wherever there was a sink, there was also that special soap. Another thing I learned that night was how badly grease and oil stuck to fur. It took a while for me to get all the grease off of my furred hands.  
  
I turned off the sink after I was done and followed Long into his small bedroom, both of us undressing completely to get ready for sleep. Long jumped on his bed; I crawled under the blanket. It wasn't as comfy as my hammock, but it was late and I was tired, so I didn't complain. Plus I had a lot to do tomorrow anyway, so I had to get my sleep. We took a few minutes to joke about how some words just don't make sense or sound weird, like 'bump'. Longs mother came in, said goodnight, and turned off the light as she left the room.  
  
For about an hour, I sat there, just staring up at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep. For some reason my adrenaline wouldn't leave my system. I looked over at Long as he grunted and rolled over, facing me with half- closed and bloodshot eyes.  
  
"Can't sleep either, eh?" I aksed.  
  
"How'd you guess?" he answered back in a highly sarcastic tone. I was a little hurt by it, since I was not use to heavy sarcasm, but I let roll off my shoulder. I got up to my knees, and leaned over, placing my arms on his bed and my head on my arms.  
  
"What you thinking about?"  
  
"The weird cracker commercials jingle. got it stuck in my head. How about you?"  
  
"My mother and father, wondering where they are buried."  
  
"Sometimes I also wonder about my father, but I knew him, or at least one of them. He was the one who taught me what I know, and I loved him a lot. But sometimes he would be mean to my mother, so I don't really worry about him."  
  
"I wish I had as good of a memory. I just wish I knew who my family was. Sonic is my only family now." I sat up and leaned on the side of his bed, now face to face with him.  
  
"Well, goodnight tails. Try and get some sleep," It was at that time he decided to do something unexpected. It wasn't a bad thing, or at least it didn't seem so at the time. He leaned forward from resting on his side, got nice and close to me. I could feel his breathe on my cheek. It was followed closely by a slightly damp sensation that felt good, and not at all wrong.  
  
"Sweet dreams," He muttered before he turned his back to me. I lied back down and covered myself with the blanket. I gently rubbed the place where his smooth lips touched my skin. This thought seemed to somehow comfort me into sleeping easier.  
  
'Long.'  
  
  
  
The night was peaceful and kind to me, and I woke in the bright early morning to a heavenly aroma that filled my nostrils with teasing pleasure. I got up from my slightly uncomfortable position and stretched out a bit before heading outside. I didn't bother to get my clothes on, since it was still only morning. I walked through the halls with partly blurred vision from the brightness of the sun through the windows which contradicted the darkness of the night.  
  
I found my way into the kitchen, where I was met with a goddess and her supply of heaven sent food being fried in a golden skillet. Actually, it was a non-stick pan, but that is how I picture it right now. She refused to tell me what was being cooked, but it looked like mushrooms being sautéed in a sauce of some sort, along with bean sprouts. Long came in shortly after in the same attire, sniffing in the scent as well, but his eyes were focused on something more to his preference.  
  
"Corn beef-hash, aww, mom you shouldn't have," He had a huge smile on his face as he said this.  
  
"Well, I was trying to save it for a special occasion, but the occasion never arose, so I thought I would do it now," Cathy went back to cooking, humming with a voice of downy soft waves being rebounded within the whole body and soul. I sat at the table melting into the spell in the song.  
  
"I can't wait to taste those mushrooms," My mouth was near watering, but I kept my manners. Long and I eventually got up and set the table. When we finished and seated ourselves, the food made its way to the table. I had mushrooms and bean sprouts which sautéed in teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds. I was a bit skeptical at first when I saw the meal being put onto my plate. I use my fork and pieced one of the mushrooms, and plopped it into my mouth before I had any second thoughts .It was better than I could ever have imagined. As I bite into the mushroom, I felt the juices soaked into it release themselves and dive onto my tongue. This mixed with the rich flavor of teriyaki and the slight taste of sesame seeds gave it an all around sweet flavor that was not overpowering, yet in flooded the senses with delight. I took no time in helping myself to as much as I could fit into my mouth. It was the best meal I had in ages, as you could tell, and I can still almost taste it now. We made small talk, and before I knew it, the meal had been devoured.  
  
After the meal things became a bit strange. No matter how much I protested that it would be imposing of me, Longs mother finally convinced me to go and take a shower, sending Long to take it with me. Long turned on the hot water and said he could stand just about any heat, and also told me not to worry about taking too long, since the hot water almost never ran out. Taking his offer, I waited for the water to heat up, then I turned on the cold water till I felt it cool down to a comfortable warm. I was a bit nervous as we both stepped into the shower, but Long seemed fearless, and that helped me a bit. Strange, how I only met this child yesterday, and already I am family enough to take showers with him. The water pressure was a bit high, and it pounded onto my back in a slightly painful but overall pleasurably relaxing way. We switched off, and long took a shot at the stream, while I stayed off to the side a bit, looking particularly scrawny due to my fur being matted down by water. Long fur was short enough so he looked almost the same except for his spiked hair matted to the back of his neck. While in the shower, I noticed we had to share the soap bar, since there was only one. Long began on himself first, getting his slightly yet naturally huge forearms, then worked his way to his chest, then down across his belly and to his awkward feet. He then went back up to his head and scrubbed his neck and head making sure to get his long ears, but did not get his face yet.  
  
"Hey, could you get my back for me?" he asked. I was quite nervous, since I usually don't take showers with other people. I obliged anyway as I took the soap bar and rubbed it in my hands working up a lather. Long had his back to me and he hunched over slightly. I began to rub Longs back, scrubbing under his fur, running my hands along his back and lower back, getting right into the crook of his tail, and worked my way back up again, massaging his back a little as I worked the soap into his skin and fur. I finished and handed back the soap bar, which he took and used to wash the fur on his face. After he rinsed off, he looked over at me.  
  
"Thanks for washing my back. what's up?" He obviously sensed my nervousness.  
  
"I haven't showered with another person in over a year, and I've NEVER showered with another guy before," It was one of the few memories I had from childhood, when I was still with my mother. I was blushing, and it would have shown through my fur if my fur was not wet.  
  
"Here, I'll get your back, and you need to relax, this is just how my mom is. I don't know why she is this way, but she just is. I don't question her."  
  
I was pretty stiff, even under the hot water. I turned around and in a short amount of time I felt his hands. err. claws on my back. They had a soft, but firm touch, his claws rubbing into my muscles as fingers would, not actually cutting my skin. He worked the soap into me, I could feel him caressing every inch of my back, down to my mid back, and then lower back, as I did unto him. This helped me relax a lot, and I was practically putty in his hands. I didn't notice when he started to go around my front side, rubbing my stomach, and then up to my chest. When his hands started to go lower though, I started to notice. I looked back at him, and he seemed genuinely non-threatening, and I did not sense any mischievousness about him. So I let him continue with his work, felling him rub my inner thighs, and then, rubbing right over my crotch.  
  
These new feelings inside of me were interesting, and scary. He stopped rubbing my nether region, and continued with the rest of my body, my arms and my legs, even up to my face. When he was finished, I just had to ask.  
  
"Why did you decided to wash my whole body? Not that I'm complaining or anything."  
  
"Because I could tell you were a bit nervous, and a good shower and full body soaping always calmed me down, so I did it to you to calm you down. It worked, didn't it? And if you were so nervous about it, why didn't you stop me?"  
  
He had a point. After rinsing the rest of our fur we hopped out of the shower and dried off. I donned my clothes, grabbed my stuff and headed for the door. I said goodbye to a still nude Long and his mother just outside the door. Long gave me a soft punch on the shoulder before I left. I turned my back to them, and took to the skies via my tails. I hoped to see Long again soon, so we could hang out more often.  
  
  
  
It didn't take long to reach Sonics house. I touched down right outside the yard, and walked toward the house. The closer I got, though, the more strange everything seemed to be. When I finally got to the door and turned the doorknob to open it, the whole door just fell, kicking up a bunch of dust.  
  
I took a good look inside and gasped. Someone thrashed our house and good. One wouldn't normally have noticed for a moment, but I did instantly. As I walked inside a little bit, I noticed that dishes were broken, laundry was thrown everywhere, the sink was broken and leaking, and there was a faint smell of gas in the air.  
  
'GAS!!!'  
  
I ran for the door, but before I could touch outside the door, there was a very distinct sound of an explosion. I felt my body being lifted from the ground, as some invisible wall knocked me out of the house. The concussion of the explosion knocked the wind out of me.  
  
As I was flying through the air on an endless trek of time, I felt a painful burning sensation that crawled over my whole back and head. A painful jar and a sharp pain in my arm told me I had hit the ground finally. My whole body was throbbing in pain, especially my arm. I cried out in pain, screaming until my throat could take no more, and even then I continued silently. Rivers flowed from my eyes, making me blind. I felt as though I was going to die of excruciating pain  
  
'PAIN!!!'  
  
I eventually got enough control over myself to roll onto my stomach, being careful not to roll over the arm that hurt. Using one hand, my good hand, I painfully pushed myself off the ground and up to my feet. My good hand instantly went over to clutch my arm. My arm just didn't feel right under my hand, like something was out of place, but I did not look for fear of what I might see.  
  
I stood there, staring at the carnage that was my house a few seconds ago. I was shocked, I could think of nothing as I watched my home burn to the ground. Not a single thought entered my mind. I felt a shaking; someone pulled me from my trance.  
  
I turned around and saw Sonic. I watched his lips move, I could tell he was straining his throat to talk to me. I could not hear what he was saying. I couldn't hear HIM. He was crying. Tears were coming down his face.  
  
"Sonic?..."  
  
I looked beyond him. Red trucks, blue cars, several of them surround the flames. Waterfalls plowed through the fires of hell. I looked beyond all that. What I was looking at, while the taste fear poisoned my tongue and started to arouse my spirit, was a white van with a red cross on the side.  
  
'No.'  
  
The ambulance pulled up, Its lights shining brightly in my eyes.  
  
'NO!!!'  
  
Fear started to control my body, making it walk away backwards, slowly.  
  
'GO AWAY!!!'  
  
I tripped over a hose, and landed on my hands. A felt something tear out of my arm, but I didn't acknowledge the pain.  
  
'LEAVE ME ALONE!!!'  
  
I scrambled backwards, the men in white coats came after me.  
  
'God help me.'  
  
I got up to my feet and tried to run away.  
  
'Must get away!!'  
  
Something big and heavy connected with my back. I fell to the ground with a thud, grass piled into my mouth. The pain in my back returned to me for a moment and I let out a hoarse scream of agony.  
  
'NOOOOO!!!!!'  
  
I couldn't get away.  
  
'Trapped.'  
  
I spat out the bitterness in my mouth, and turned to look at my assailant. To my horror, it was the one person who said he would protect me, Sonic. He looked me straight in the eye, looking at me as if I had gone mad.  
  
'I'm NOT crazy!! I have to get away!! They'll hurt me!!!'  
  
I struggled more. I almost became free, but this time, those white maniacal coats caught me, at last.  
  
'WHY?!?!'  
  
I felt a sharp pain embed itself into my arm. The world started to get blurry, and slowly black out around me.  
  
'Why..'  
  
  
  
A/N: DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING, NOW DID YA?!?! Oh, and I have a pic, courtesy of Gree Falcon. It is a pic of tails and Long. A colored version coming soon. If you want to see it, e-mail me or Gree Falcon (since I'm too cheap to buy the extra service) Comments? Flames? Actual constructive reviews? Please just give me a review or send me an e-mail. All (meaning most) replies are appreciated. Have a shpadoinkle day. Oh, and for a reply for Kevian August question, "By any chance is Long based off Long from Bloody Roar 1/2/3?," The answer is, Only by name, everything else is of my own design. As for why that is, because I didn't want to use Shenlong, and I was out of ideas for names that didn't sound corny. 


	4. srry folks

Yo, sorry for what I am doing folks. Kinda happens when you cannot stand your own story and the way it is heading. I took down the later chapters first, and after I am satisfied in the way they link together, I will take down the rest of it all, work on all of it at once, then re-post it all at once. Have any questions, please just e-mail me.  
  
Testing  
  
Testing  
  
Testing 


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